Grammy award-winning musician Chance the Rapper is partnering with Ben & Jerry’s for a brand new flavor that also “does some good in the world.”
Mint Chocolate Chance will be available in both dairy and vegan varieties, the latter made using Ben & Jerry’s allergen-free sunflower butter base. It features “cool mint” combined with fudgy chocolate brownie pieces. The recipe was inspired by a childhood favorite of Chance himself, who would mix mint ice cream with chunks of his mother’s homemade brownies.
“I’m so excited to have my own flavor of ice cream with Ben & Jerry’s,” says Chance. “I grew up with their ice cream as a kid so getting to create a new flavor brought back a lot of great memories. It amazes me that no one thought to combine brownies and mint chocolate chip and I can’t wait to share it with everyone.”
The new flavor joins at least 17 different dairy-free varieties available from Ben & Jerry’s, including several that highlight or fundraise for various humanitarian and environmental causes from climate change (“Save Our Swirled”) to racial justice (“Change the Whirled”).
However, it’s also worth noting that the Unilever-owned company has dropped its “happy cows” tagline from its dairy products following a successful lawsuit filed towards the end of 2019. The case suggested that ice cream produced at such a scale is inevitably dependent on mass production and factory farming, neither of which are compatible with the idea of “happy cows.”
Ben & Jerry’s Vermont factories operate 24/7 and produce around one million pints per day.
Chance the Rapper and Ben & Jerry’s
Chancelor Johnathan Bennett, better known by his stage name Chance the Rapper, founded a nonprofit with his friends called SocialWorks five years ago to “empower the youth” through the arts, education, and civic engagement. An unnamed percentage of his profits from Mint Chocolate Chance sales will go towards funding the organization’s various initiatives.
The musician is an outspoken community activist and has worked particularly hard in his hometown of Chicago. He has taken part in diverse struggles from combating gun violence to fundraising for two-in-one sleeping bags/coats for the city’s rough sleepers as part of the Warmest Winter campaign. In 2020 he received the UNICEF Chicago Humanitarian Award.
“Chance the Rapper is a tremendous talent and inspiration,” says Ben & Jerry’s CEO Matthew McCarthy. “Through his flavor, we hope to inspire creativity in the next generation and to spread the word about SocialWorks in a delicious way.”
Mint Chocolate Chance will be available across the U.S. from early 2022, retailing for $4.99 – $5.49. According to Ben & Jerry’s, the vegan brownies included in the recipe are made by certified B Corp Greyston Bakery, which aims to empower individuals through employment.
